Indies Invade the SFIFF: Snapshots from the Left Coast

From the city’s hilltop aristocrats who buy tickets in bulk to theRussian cab driver attending one film from his native Georgia, the 41stSan Francisco International Film Festival is drawing crowds as diverseas its programming. It is midway through a two-week run (which wraps May7) and the only people who haven’t turned up are the requisite industrysuits at this decidedly non-market, film lovers’ festival.

Positioned at a cultural crossroads on the Pacific Rim, the festival isan important venue for smaller, less commercial foreign films to makethe leap to the states. This year’s program includes a whopping 130films from 44 countries, in addition to 67 U.S. projects. Theatersaround the bay are carrying the program, including the Kabuki (main HQ),the Castro and the Pacific Film Archive at UC Berkeley.

But amid the pomp of such high-brow fare and edgy experimentalism, was aplace saved for those young, tireless American D.I.Y.ers hoping theirshowings would make a splash. Would locals get a taste of a fewoff-beat, new features before either Sony gobbles them or they vanishwithout a trace? In San Francisco, the answer is yes.

indieWIRE offers the following snapshots of filmmakers on the hustle.

Christopher Nolan arrived at the Kabuki with a print fresh from a locallab. His debut feature, “Following,” is a realist-tinged, noirish storyabout a young writer in London who has taken to following strangersuntil he is caught by one. Nolan’s film is in competition for thefestival’s Skyy Prize. While brimming with excitement at his worldpremiere, Nolan was anxious to view the film with an audience of morethan five. “It really felt complete for the first time,” said the27-year-old Nolan, a former Londoner now living in Los Angeles. “Peoplelet out a gasp at the parts I gasp at!” Another gasp resounded at thepost-screening Q&A when he told the audience that he completed the filmfor $6,000 (before film transfer). Borrowing gear from his college onweekends and “calling in a lot of favors,” his only real cost was filmstock. “People brought their own lunch,” he added with a laugh. NowNolan pays the bills as a script reader while he plots strategies for“Following.” When asked how he would spend the $10,000 Skyy Prizeshould he win, he replied, “Pay my girlfriend some rent!”

For Philadelphia filmmaker Eugene Martin, the first feature is thehurdle. His debut, “Two Plus One,” enjoyed limited theatricaldistribution. The second time around Martin started a productioncompany, set up an office, acquired an Avid, and “leveraged” the packageinto funding. “Edge City,” in its North American premiere here, takesthe too-easily-exploited subject of teen violence and injects a rawstreet intensity into an intriguing plot. Using a combination of youngprofessional actors and local kids, the film fixes on the social bordersthat divide hip-hop kids of south Philly from their wealthier suburbancounterparts. “I involved the kids with everything. With shooting,cutting, test screening,” said Martin of his methods. “I didn’t want topreach down to them or water it down. I just wanted to be reallyaggressive.” To that end, Martin utilized hand-held camera throughoutthe shoot before cutting up a storm. “We had 1700 edits. You wouldn’twanna see our negative cuts!” Martin is now wrangling his actors for aradio interview. In parting, he said that “Edge City” is beingconsidered by three major distributors.

David Williams scaled down the production of his second feature,“Thirteen,” which garnered great festival response in Toronto, Berlinand NY’s New Directors/New Films. For “Thirteen,” Williams was ableto trim the crew and save money by shooting 16mm instead of Super-16.“It’s nice to have a larger crew,” said the filmmaker from his Virginiahome, “but my real interest is getting a unique quality of acting fromthe actors.” The result is an intimate, documentary-style study of anintroverted girl who runs away from her family and returns with an oddgoal during the week of her thirteenth birthday. Williams, who made thefilm with NEA and Rockefeller grant money, doesn’t seem to mind lackinga distributor. “I’m just sticking to the festival circuit right nowhoping that it gets good reviews.” His strategy was rewarded at theBerlin market where “Thirteen” received the Jury Award in itsclassification.

Vicky Funari collected excellent reviews on a trail of festivals thatwove through Havana, Sundance and Berlin. Now she’s in San Francisco,where she lives, competing for the Golden Spire in the Bay AreaDocumentary division. Her stunning film, “Paulina,” is a collection ofrevelations about the Mexican woman who served as the family maid duringFunari’s childhood. “Paulina” leads the audience back to the scene ofher youth through interviews and dramatic recreations where she wasexploited and traded for land. “It was hell,” said Funari about raisingthe bucks. “Once I started fundraising it took about ten years.” Butunder the wing of distributor Turbulent Arts, and a release plan, shesaid she’s ready to tackle more projects which, hopefully, won’t takeanother decade.

Angered by stated denials of racial motives and armed with seed moneyfrom the Discovery Channel, Berkeley-based Michael Chandler flew torural South Carolina to gain confidences and secure interviews withlocal residents about two black churches that were burnt to the ground.“Forgotten Fires” is Chandler’s gripping account of a small town luredinto racial hatred when the KKK sets up shop. The film turns into ademented Klan fashion show as the camera was allowed full access torallies and unhooded one-on-ones, and a gut-wrenching conversation withthe self-confessed arson in prison. (Discretion allows only that thefilm contains a surprise ending any doc-maker would die for!) Chandlerreturned to shoot whenever he got more money. “If you make the movie,you’re making the movie. If you wait, you won’t,” he said.

Local filmmaker Susan Stern has a calling card of gold in the title ofher one-hour documentary, “Barbie Nation: An Unauthorized Tour.” Abackground of investigative print journalism and a video productionclass set her on the path to indiedom. Her adulatory, yet subversivefilm follows the webs of the Barbie doll’s influence, from high-rollingcollectors to underground artists that reclaim Barbie for personalexpression. The amazing and ironic life of Ruth Handler, Barbie’sinventor and Mattel, Inc. co-founder, rises above much camp throughintimate interviews. Stern’s heels are hot from a premiere at Austin’sSXSW Festival. “I got called by everybody: Miramax and Fine Line andGoldwyn and Sony Pictures Classics,” recalled Stern. “And then they allcalled back and said, ‘It’s too short.'” She’s getting her audienceanyway with a prime airing on PBS’ “P.O.V.” Like many people who’ vemanaged to get their film out, Stern is confidently plotting her nextmove. “I have several ideas I’m working on now. Two documentaries, twofeatures and a television show.”

[For more information about the San Francisco International FilmFestival, call: (415) 569-9700. Their web site is atwww.sfiff.org/fest98.]